Rebecca's+YAL+Workspace

Pre-reading definition of young adult literature: literature that is geared toward or widely read by young people, typically ranging from ages 12-20. I think this type of literature can and does often address some pretty heavy/meaningful topics, since young people are typically trying to figure out what they think about things and where they fit in the world. I think these books can also be quite imaginative, since young adults are often better than older adults at using their imaginations. :)

After reading: Literature that is geared toward or widely read by young people (people generally between the ages of 12-18ish), often featuring protagonists that are close in age and in similar stages of life as the readers. These books can and often do address significant and meaningful topics, since young adults are typically trying to figure out their opinions about things and where they fit in the world. These books can also be quite imaginative, since young adults are often better than older adults at using their imaginations!

__The main thing that changed about my definition is that this type of literature often features protagonists close in age and in similar stages of life as the readers__. (Wadham & Ostenson argue that this is the main characteristic that classifies these books as YA.) I think this is important, since students will be able to identify with these protagonists more so than others. I really loved the part of the chapter in the textbook that discussed books that would help contribute to the development of students' moral judgment; how cool to help students discuss problems of a protagonist that they might already be dealing with or might deal with in the near future! As a teacher with only one class period a day with each student (for just a semester or a year), it is so important to choose wisely the books we will read together. Hopefully the books I choose will resound with them and will be a meaningful resource, comfort, and delight for them as they find their way through high school. (And more than anything, hopefully they will realize they love to read and will continue to do so!)

//**Comment:** I think your emphasis on imagination is quite astute. Sadly, as you suggest, coming of age often times involves a loss of innocence or this type of imaginative quality, but I think it would be better to characterize it as a struggle to maintain what we hold true as a YA in the face of the pressure to "grow up" and become an adult. The challenge is to then "stay gold" in the face of a society that expects you to grow up in certain ways that work against this. Best, Dr. Young//

8/24/17 This afternoon I picked //All American Boys// by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. The front has a guy with his hands up, and Dr. Young had mentioned that it dealt with police brutality and race relations. In the little bit that I started reading, I met Rashad, an African-American student at Springfield Central High School. Rashad's voice sounds very genuine to me--his voice is absolutely believable and teenager-y. He's funny, too. :) Some of the book is written like text messages, and the book is also divided into days of the week.

// **Comment:** Hope you choose to read the whole book and that it has as much of a payoff for you as it did for me. If you do and it did, I recommend Chris Crutcher's __Whale Talk__ as well. //

8/27/17 I will be writing in a **Virtual Journal** this semester, using Google docs as my tool. [|Rebecca's YAL Journal]

// **Comment:** It would be great if you could link your YAL Virtual Journal Google Doc here, Rebecca. You can keep the setting so that it is only shared with me. Since you don't have a book list here, I'm assuming that you'll be doing this exclusively in your journal and, perhaps, on the handout I provided. Know that you can list them here too if you would like. //

I really enjoyed reading this chapter, since it helped give me an overall context for the YA genre. I remember reading some of the books they listed in school, like //The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn// and //To Kill a Mockingbird//, but in my own time in late elementary and middle school I distinctly remember reading several books by Judy Bloom as well as multiple Baby Sitter's Club and Sweet Valley High books. YA didn't seem to be as much of a genre or category then as it is now, and when I was in high school my personal reading fell off a bit. Richard Wright's //Native Son// was one of the books that made the biggest impact on me during high school, which with a teenager as the protagonist could probably be considered part of the YA genre. With several of the readings this week it was interesting to see how the life category of adolescence developed as well.
 * Reading Response to Bushman & Haas "History of YAL":**

I tend to resist things that are really popular, so perhaps partly because of that--and partly because I believed some of the myths about young adult literature--I remember having somewhat of a condescending attitude about //The Hunger Games// for the first couple of years the books were around. But then I started reading them! After finishing the third book I remember being very impressed with the complexity of the plot and character development as well as all the significant "life" questions the books made me think about. When I closed the third one I thought the trilogy was definitely substantial enough to use for teaching in the classroom! I now openly and without embarrassment enjoy YA books and look forward to incorporating them into my future classroom curriculum! Having actually overcome my own belief in a couple of the myths listed in Wadham & Ostenson's chapter, I feel like I could relay my own experience to others to work against the further perpetuation of these myths as a teacher.

// **Comment:** I appreciate your honesty here in your description of your evolution of becoming a YAL reader and advocate! :) //

In Crutcher's chapter: "Favorite teachers save lives" (16). I love that!! Crutcher writes that teachers must often teach and connect with students whose lives they know virtually nothing about. He writes, "That teacher has to create a safe place for him //and// must educate him. That teacher is flying blind" (18).

// **Comment:** So, given that Crutcher's short chapter resonated with you here, I encourage you to download the short editorial he wrote about sport in EJ that I read a few quotes from in class. It's available on the moodle. And, I recommend any of his books, but especially __Whale Talk__! //

I really appreciate the way Bushman and Haas break up the chapter into literary elements and then give examples of books that emphasize this element or do an exceptional job showcasing it. I think evaluating YA literature, or any other literature for that matter, would be a subjective process and would depend on a variety of factors. The literature I decide to use as a teacher would depend, insofar as I'm able to choose, on the make-up of my students, their expressed interest in a certain topic (or lack thereof), my teaching objectives for a particular unit, etc.
 * 9.7.17 Evaluating YAL**

I think the reader response method explained in Bushman and Haas definitely goes with all that I learned last semester in Teaching Composition. Last semester we talked about how the writing classroom should really be driven by students and what they want to write about; with this chapter, I see that the discussion about the literature should be driven by students as well, with the teacher acting as a "guide on the side" (a term I came across in a study for another class). It also kind of eases my mind related to lesson plans. I know that planning for each day will be important, but if you are doing more "teaching" than "instructing," and more discussion and less lecture, this decreases some of the extra legwork teachers might feel inclined toward. It puts the ball in the students' court really, and helps them learn how to discuss the literature they are reading. I really like all the ideas incorporated into the chapter and the questions listed to help students begin discussing.
 * 9.13.17 Reader Response as Starting Place for Reading**

As a reader, I realize that one of my college English professors often used this method to guide our discussions about whatever we were reading. He usually asked for our initial opinions about what we had read, or asked us a particular question, and then we usually took the discussion from there. There was little to no "formal teaching" on most days, but rather his subtle guidance or redirection as needed throughout the discussion.

// **Comment:** I'm glad you see the value of reader response -- it is a key strategy for teachers in helping kids find a way in to the reading we want them to do. //

In middle school and high school, I don't ever remember having a choice about what I could read for school. We read classics mostly (never once what would be considered YA today), as well as other works from our anthology or textbooks. In 8th grade I remember reading //A Tale of Two Cities//, and the only recollection I had of the book until I reread it as an adult was that it was boring and put me to sleep at night. I also remember reading //Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl//, which I really liked. I don't remember how the literature we read in 8th grade was organized. In 9th grade I remember studying mythology, epics, //Silas Marner//, and //Animal Farm//. For at least part of the year the focus was on world literature (whatever that means...I took an entire college class revolving around that question...), but for some reason that didn't mean studying other cultures and the accompanying literature. It basically meant reading ancient Greek and Roman literature. In 10th grade I remember reading //Lord of the Flies// and //The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//. The first time I got to choose something was in 11th grade, when I got to choose the topic of my research paper (inspired by an Alice Walker novel, I chose the topic of female genital mutilation in Africa). I thought it was amazing that I could choose! We studied American literature that year but the only novel I can remember is //Their Eyes Were Watching God// by Zora Neale Hurston. In AP English in 12th grade we studied some English lit (the Intro to //The Canterbury Tales, Beowulf,// and "Macbeth" are what I remember from this) and some American literature. I will never forget the images that came to mind that year as I read Wright's //Native Son// and Tim O'Brien's //The Things They Carried//. I know I had teachers that cared about their students and worked hard, but I don't particularly felt like we did all that much that was relevant to us or to our stage in life. Nothing was particularly inventive, and almost everything we studied was pretty canonical and traditional, as far as I can remember.
 * 9.17.17 Response to "Organizing the Literature" by Bushman & Haas and Nielsen's chapter 11**

I am very thankful for this semester's introduction to young adult literature and for all the ideas about how to organize the literature I teach! It's so cool to think about letting students choose from several novels and then be able to teach and learn from each other. I love the idea of the thematic unit, though so far I've really only put ideas on paper for one unit (inspired by //All-American Boys//, it's a unit on race relations in our nation). I like thinking about incorporating poetry, short stories, and drama into the curriculum as well. I highlighted or underlined so many resources for teaching from both chapters, and I really feel like the range of things I could teach, and the way I could teach them, is virtually limitless. So far in our Thursday night class period, it's been helpful to look at different books Dr. Young and classmates recommend. I'm thinking I might do something similar when I teach--have a book of the week (or something similar) that I bring to their attention. Or I could have a different student each week do a book talk and recommend a book. Since we've been keeping our lists of what we're reading outside of the required class textbooks, I've been thinking about whether that could be effective in the high school classroom, too. I don't quite know what all would be involved in that assignment, but I've been thinking about it.

I would definitely like to incorporate YA literature into my curriculum, and I can think of a variety of ways I would do this. In the unit I'm working on, I incorporate some selections from the canon to study along with //All-American// //Boys//. I've already read several YA books this semester that I think would be amazing to teach in the classroom, either by themselves or paired with other YA selections. There seems to be so much literature to choose from! What a great "problem" to have! :) I think in instances where I have to teach books from the canon that seem far-removed from my students, allowing them to read a YA selection alongside of it might help them establish some connections with the more classical literature.

I don't remember much of anything about the writing I did in middle school, but I do remember a little about my writing in high school. In addition to journal writing that we were asked to do whenever the teacher provided a prompt, I was asked to write essays and research papers. The essays were usually to answer a question about the text and to provide evidence for this answer in the body of the paper. We did this in essay tests on novels, as well as in practicing for the AP exam my senior year. We were sometimes given the choice of which question we wanted to answer. I also had to write research papers, and I was given the choice of what to write on in 11th grade. I really don't remember much creative writing. In the Bushman & Haas chapter, I liked the multiple ideas for doing some pre-reading writing. I don't know that I ever did pre-reading writing in class, but maybe I didn't realize that's what we were doing, or maybe I just forgot. I'm pretty sure I did a biopoem in 12th grade, but it wasn't in response to a text; it was to introduce myself at the beginning of the year to my other classmates. Many of the writing prompts I liked in the chapter had to do with extending the reading to include other works referenced in the initial novel (like having a class read "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" after reading //The Chocolate War//) or writing about the ending (either responding to a book's rather open or unresolved ending, like with //Chinese Handcuffs,// or imagining another ending by writing another chapter, as was mentioned with //The Giver//). I also loved the ideas for exploring the writer's craft with every book--whether that was exploring imagery, metaphor, etc. I think it would be neat to have students collect noteworthy examples of imagery, metaphor, quotes, etc. in a reading journal as they work through the text. These could provide good ideas for conversation in the classroom, and the topics and examples would largely come from the students' observations. When reading about //The Island//, I liked that they suggested that students emulate Wil's process of observation and writing, and I immediately also thought of Thoreau's observation of ants in //Walden// that he described. I think it would be neat to have students read excerpts from Thoreau if they were reading //The Island//. Then they could compare and contrast both Wil and Thoreau as they observed and wrote about nature, doing it themselves afterwards. After reading all of these wonderful ideas in the chapter, I realize that there is really no excuse to give the same or similar writing assignment over and over in a classroom. Each book will probably inspire multiple ways that students can write about and interact with the text, and it may be profitable to give several choices each time and let them pick one. I am thankful for all the great ideas from this chapter that expanded my thinking and now have several more books to add to my reading list!!
 * 9.27.17 Response to ch. 4 in Bushman & Haas, "The Reading-Writing Connection"**

[|"Johnny Bear" short story teaching ideas]

Pre-reading: The type of language study I remember doing in middle school or high school usually took the form of grammar worksheets (which were fewer in number the further along I progressed in high school). We might have discussed that Jim spoke in a dialect in //Huck Finn//, or how the n- word was used in //To Kill a Mockingbird,// or the fact that old English was used in //Beowulf// and middle English was used in //The Canterbury Tales// (I think...), but that was about it.
 * 10.8.17 Response to Bushman & Haas, Ch. 5: "The Language Connection"**

After reading: I would definitely love to discuss language with my students, which I hope to incorporate with each book through a discussion of "Author's Craft." An example of this would be what I included for "Johnny Bear," where students can discuss the author's descriptions of fog so prominent throughout the story. I would also like to make a habit of having students find sentences they like in the book we are reading, afterward identifying why they like them and how the author constructed them. Then, they could try to write their own sentences like that one (similar to what we did in Teaching Composition last semester).

I was very encouraged by reading this chapter, and I felt like it nicely corroborated what we read last week. In the same way that students should not be made to feel less-than when they speak their dialect of English, the native languages of ELLs should be respected in the classroom as well. I was especially fascinated by reading about the relationship between the first and second languages--namely, that the first language acts as a scaffold to the second. When he discusses this in the chapter, Danling mentions that students should be able to "read and write in their first language any time they choose to do so" (111). His discussion of methods used by graduate students learning content in their first language was very helpful in illustrating the fact that even at the highest levels, students can access higher and more thorough thought processes when absorbing content in their native language first. I also felt that the chapter was accessible to teachers, as it presented multiple strategies for teaching ELLs. I like the process where you ask students to write first in response to a question, then to discuss with a classmate or small group, and then to have the opportunity to speak up in a large group. I think this is an effective strategy for anyone, since it provides time to gather thoughts and articulate them well, so how much more effective would this be for students still getting comfortable with speaking out in the classroom in their second language! Finally, I appreciate that Carol says, "Teachers of English learners must know their students. It isn't enough to check school records for test scores because tests, even good ones, describe only the level at which a student is performing in English" (121). Her sentiment is wise and expressive, as she wants to know her ELLs not just as individuals learning a second (or third...) language, but as people! I like that she encourages the teacher to know how that student performs in his or her native language as well as anything else about the student that may make the teacher more effective.
 * 10.18.17 Response to Beers, Probst, & Rief, Ch. 8: English Language Learners in the Classroom**

I normally think about diversity in relation to race and ethnicity or gender and sexual identification. Sometimes I think about socioeconomic status. So, this was a great chapter for helping me to expand my thinking on diversity. I loved how the chapter addressed not just different adolescents growing up in America and dealing with identity issues, but young people growing up in other cultures as well. I also really appreciated reading about authors who have written about mental health and chronic illness. Given the fact that I've become friends with someone who struggles with chronic pain and am with her in the hospital to try and fix it, I've been thinking a lot about what life is like for her on a daily basis. Sometimes something as simple as chopping her vegetables or taking a shower is hard to do, and she needs help. How important for students to think about what it's like for someone to struggle daily with cerebral palsy, or to think through what it's like to not be able to walk, or to struggle with schizophrenia. I think in addition to understanding how these struggles affect their lives, it would be important for readers to see that these characters (like real people) still have many of the same desires and dreams as others.
 * 10.25.17: Response to Bushman & Haas, Ch. 8: "Diversity in Young Adult Literature"**

I read Pink's book earlier in the semester for another class, so his material referenced in this chapter was not entirely new to me. My main takeaway from this chapter is that we're not so much teaching students a body of information about a canon of books, as much as we are giving them tools for interacting with and using the multitude of information that is at their fingertips now. As ELA teachers we may do this using various types of texts, but our overarching goal is to equip them for the rapidly-changing, increasingly digital, collaborative work force that awaits them. Our teaching becomes more about **HOW** than about **WHAT.** Helping them develop and strengthen these skills (such as collaborating, leveraging, adapting, etc.) will hopefully level the playing field for them, or "flatten" the world/obstacles so that students have what they need to obtain and keep a job in our increasingly automated world.
 * 11.1.17: Response to Ch. 10 in Beers, Probst, and Rief: "Teaching English Language Arts in a 'Flat' World"**

I was actually surprised that the threaded discussion was touted as an example for helping students acquire some of these skills, since it seems a rather mundane and irritating part of online courses.

In this chapter Hundley and Holbrook describe how the ever increasing digital world affects print texts, expectations of YA readers about the text, and expectations of these readers regarding the authors. They first describe the "Gutenberg Parenthesis," the centuries during which the printed text between two covers was authoritative. Before and after the Gutenberg Parenthesis, "Pettitt argues that digital-age authoring and storytelling entail features and practices similar to those or oral cultures prior to the development of the printed book" (254). Digital spaces now often make writing more collaborative and give the reader a chance to participate in the narrative or even create part of it (for example, with fan fiction). Hundley and Holbrook speak of YA readers today as "adolescent readers in the post-parenthesis," and then lay out "two key and related aspects of young adult literature in the digital age: (1) just as reading and writing are deeply connected in the production and engagement of print texts, so too they remain intertwined in digital contexts and (2) advances in digital media shape the storytelling possibilities for both readers and writers" (256). The authors also make a distinction between the following three terms: multimedia, crossmedia, and transmedia. They use Moloney's definitions for these terms. Multimedia describes "'one story, many forms, one channel,'" while crossmedia refers to "'one story, many channels,'" and transmedia means "'one storyworld, many stories, many forms, many channels'" (258). The authors then discuss some of the different ways print texts "explode the page," noting that "as new communication technologies become available...stories can potentially extend beyond print formats and into other forms of media. The story gets recreated, restaged, and recycled in new and emerging media formats, each providing a different way of experiencing the narrative" (259). They provided some really interesting examples of narratives that extend from print to game, and even from game to print. Concerns of gaming worlds are often part of these narratives, and often the gaming world and reality become confused as part of the story. They also discussed multimodal books, where authors provided additional information for the story that readers can access online if they want to, or stories where online videos are part of experiencing the narrative. There are also "born-digital texts" that start out on the internet and are meant to be read online. //Inanimate Alice// is an example of this, with "words, images, sounds, animations, puzzles and games, and video" all comprising the narrative (273).
 * Summary and Response to "Exploding the Page: Digital, Multimodal, and Transmedia Young Adult Literature"**

I was amazed to read about this world of literature that I have never before even heard of. I was actually excited, thinking about all the possibilities for students! There will always be traditional books, which I love to read, but there is nothing wrong exploring new terrain!

I really enjoyed this chapter, and I was energized by it! One of the areas I've learned about most since being at NC State is technology, and I get excited when I read about and think about different ways to incorporate that into my future classroom. The chapter reminded me a lot about the spirit of Hicks' book we read last semester in Teaching Composition--particularly the part about not being able to use technology to do the same old things we've always done. I also found quite a few quotes that really resounded with me. Here are several examples: "And when we do this right, we can push past the kinds of curriculum that Max and his peers meet daily, where the study of language in class is completely removed from the uses of language in and outside of class" (219). "In order to be inclined to read authentically, the students need opportunities to engage with texts in the same voluntary and generative ways that adults do" (221). "Here, curriculum builds on providing students with agency, choice, and an authentic audience, all of which build motivation and learning engagement" (221). "It's essential that in doing this work, you value the knowledge that students are bringing to the task....//I do not teach the technology//. I don't teach them where to click. What I //do// teach is how to ensure that your product conveys the meaning that you intend. I teach multimodal composition--ways of working with multiple modes to create a rich, compelling product. I teach students that the literacy knowledge that they bring into the classroom is varied and valued, and that we all have a next step that we're working toward" (228). "Teaching with technology in the English classroom is about always looking, whether it's seeing kids and the range of talents and literacies that they bring into our classrooms or it's seeing the possibilities in a new tool that allows me to amplify curricula for the better" (229). "...There is a very real pressure to make sure that what we teach is relevant and helps to push them to develop the skills needed to be self-directed, ubiquitous learners. I cannot do that without providing opportunities for them to read deeply, think critically, and write closely for responsive audiences that span the globe. New technologies challenge me to create openings" (229). These quotes basically sum up my takeaways. I really felt like the concept of audience was emphasized, and rightly so. If having a real audience is motivating to students, then it will be important for me to be looking for ways that students can write for and engage real readers. I also really liked the bit about the podcasts--especially when you think about it as students basically putting together their own NPR-ish show. I like that the chapter mentions that they can go back through their podcasts (I liked the term literacy artifact, too!) and think critically about what they've said and evaluate their comments. Such a great chapter all around!
 * 11.8.17 Response to Ch. 14 in Beers, Probst, and Rief: Unleashing Potential with Emerging Technologies**

Dr. Young-- "There's always going to be a barrier (with textbooks, or tech, or a tyrant administrator, or a colleague), but you problem solve and figure it out."

One of the worst experiences I had in regard to personal inquiry was when I wrote my thesis for my M.A. in Ethics. Experiencing an extended writing process itself was one of my favorite academic experiences, but I had virtually no help or encouragement from my major professor. He was very "hands-off, " which is fine I guess, but I really had no framework for what it meant to do research in the discipline of ethics or what a thesis was supposed to be/do. I had no idea about trying to figure out what scholars were talking about or even if I had a worthy topic. I probably should've asked for more help initially, but looking back I realize my professor could've done a lot more to orient me to the process of researching and writing a thesis.
 * 11.15.17 Response to Ch. 15: "Making It Matter Through the Power of Inquiry"**

One of the best experiences I've had regarding inquiry was last semester's multi-genre project for Teaching Composition. I was very motivated to read and do research for this project and was excited to examine multiple perspectives in preparation. One of the neat things about letting students determine (at least to an extent, if not entirely) what they would like to research, is that they get to know themselves better and come to understand what types of things they like to learn about.

I loved this chapter in Biers, Probst, and Rief, partly because I'm naturally curious and like to research to answer questions, but also because it was filled with great points! I agree wholeheartedly that students should be allowed to participate in inquiries that are of genuine importance in the real world. I remember being repeatedly frustrated with Trig in high school because I knew I would never use it again; that class was simply fulfilling credits for me so I could eventually graduate. I think the importance of guiding students to meaningful questions cannot be overstated. I think the authors of this chapter provide a helpful distinction when they write, "Inquiry is not simply thematic study, but the exploration of a question or issue that drives debate in the disciplines of the world. Our work shows us that kids need to find both personal connection and social significance in the units and texts we offer them" (233). I need to incorporate this concept as I work on my final project for this class, ensuring that the unit revolves around an important question (or questions) that are meaningful for the students and their lives now.

I appreciated the example about Fiona's history class, and the discussion about helping her to acquire the skills necessary for learning in that discipline, rather than just continuing to acquire information. This goes along with the general concept I'm learning across all my classes that one aspect of 21st century education is equipping students to be able to categorize and use/handle the information they have at their fingertips (instead of just trying to memorize a bunch of content). The correspondence concept will be able to help me now and in the future to figure out if I'm designing curriculum or teaching in a way that will genuinely help students.

I experienced "flow" for myself when working on my book trailer. I have been very interested in the book I chose, and I enjoyed learning how to put together a trailer. I hadn't ever done anything like that before so the assignment was a challenge on that level. I agree with the authors that students respond to challenges that aren't too overwhelming but just hard enough. That was a project I was interested in, and one that I could get done in a couple of weeks; I was motivated in regard to the material and enjoyed learning the new skill of making a movie. Incorporating assignments like these into my future classrooms will be important for motivating the engagement of students and then achieving flow. If they are sufficiently interested in a concept and have some measure of choice regarding it, they are more likely to start working hard. If the assignment is challenging enough and seen by them as worthwhile and important, they will most likely become engaged to the point that they establish their own flow and learn a good bit.

I love the term "pedagogy of confidence" that the authors incorporate in this chapter. They write, "Pedagogy of Confidence is based on the fearless expectation that all students will learn...When teachers practice this pedagogy, they do not doubt the potential of urban adolescents, and they switch their instructional focus from //what must be taught// to //what kinds of teaching will maximize learning//" (247-248). Yes! Absolutely! I agree that validating their literate activities, helping them feel smart again, and incorporating "culturally relevant teaching" (251) are key to helping all students succeed. These methods make me think of Mrs. Young's presentation from last week, in that she started meeting her students where they were, allowing them to choose all their reading and by this to build stamina and fluency; acting in a way that showed confidence in their ability to make decisions about their own learning, and showing confidence that they //would// learn, enabled these students to build confidence and truly begin to flourish in the classroom (as well as outside of the classroom, no doubt!).
 * Response to Ch. 16: "Building Academic Success with Underachieving Adolescents"**

I think there are so many components to being a good teacher, but my main overarching thought right now regarding this is that I need to continually **be a good student myself** in order to be a good teacher. This means I will need to continue to explore the YA shelves in Barnes and Noble and the library, always on the lookout for enjoyable, invigorating, and challenging reading material. I will need to continue to select some of these books to read and explore (and I look forward to that)! This means I need to continue to read deeply and widely in genres I already like and to continue to explore new genres and authors in my personal reading life. This means I need to write regularly in my own life and continue to work through multiple drafts of writing as I expect my students to do. This means I will need to regularly stay on top of research about best practices, new texts, learning theory, and technology. This means I will need to continue to grow in my digital fluency and seek out new and interesting tools for use in the classroom and increase my comfort with and practice of digital composition. This means I will regularly be a student of my students, seeking to know and engage them as young adults who have important things to say and significant work to do in the world. This means that I seek to be humble, flexible, teachable, and approachable to students, parents, and colleagues. This means I regularly self-evaluate and remain open to constructive feedback from others. This means I always have an openness to learn and a strong desire to do so!
 * Takeaways and Brief Reflection to the Beers, Probst, & Reif Interlude as well as Atwell's "Afterward"**

Takeaways to "Who is the Good Teacher?"
 * I need to be on the lookout for good teachers in all kinds of places, and I don't need to expect them to look like a particular "type." I liked that Christenbury's examples of good teachers were a teenage ski instructor and a dog obedience school instructor. We can truly learn so much from all types of teachers! I also appreciated her example of Ms. Williams, who did things much differently than she did but was able to engage her students and help them learn.
 * I love the quote, "The adventure is never over, and the skill is never finally achieved" (292). This is part of what draws me to teaching! I like challenges, and I like having new and different challenges. I am invigorated thinking about the way that each year of students will be different from the last and different from the next. I also like this conviction of Christenbury's: "Good teaching must be a moving target. We learn and relearn from our students and classes" (292).
 * I found it really helpful that Christenbury mentioned a "North Star." As she explains, I know there will be different research and emphases and methods from year to year, but I can and should always follow my convictions about what is central to teaching. I think part of my North Star right now would be the conviction I included above that I always need to be a good student. Christenbury writes: "What good teachers do, however, is hold fast to a central verity, to what they value, to what they believe is best for their students. These teachers have, despite the pressures, changes, and concerns from the outside, an internal gyroscope that keeps them centered and focused. They have a goal that is central to their instructional life" (292-293).
 * Finally, "But the good teacher is absolutely recognizable because the good teacher does what all of us truly wish to do: the good teacher makes a difference" (293)

Takeaways from Atwell's "Afterword"
 * Don't be a technophobe = )
 * Always go for what is significant when teaching. Atwell writes about adolescents, "They still crave meaning; they still respond voraciously when significance is a regular part of the classroom diet. They want their reading and writing to matter to them and to matter now, not in some nebulous someday" (312).
 * "Personal preference--choices of books to read and topics to write about--looms huge in the secondary English curricula described in this volume" (312). Choice seems to be so important, and it makes sense. While I love being a student and will read what I'm assigned, it is always even more fun to pick the things I would like to read or research!!